Meek Mill has been steadily building his buzz, appearing on records for everyone from Rick Ross to Mariah Carey. But the Maybach Music MC is taking his time with his debut to ensure it will go down in hip-hop history as a classic.

The Philly rapper has pushed his highly-anticipated album Dreams & Nightmares back from August 28 to the fall. He plans to announce a new date in the coming week. He wants to represent real hip-hop with an album that can stand alongside the greats.

“A lot of people been shying away from the real rapping and hip-hop. I’m really representing,” Meek told Nessa on WiLD 94.9. “When I come out with my album, I want to have a classic album, an Illmatic, a Hard Knock Life, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ type, a hip-hop album.”

When it comes to his favorite MCs, Meek named the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Nas, Lil Wayne, and Jay-Z, whose seminal album Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life tops his list.

He’s already received the stamp of approval from one of his idols, Nas. “I got my eyes on him. He’s the next one to take this shit over,” the hip-hop icon told Rap-Up.com. “There are no more street orators in the game, who are fresh off the block and can tell us currently what’s going on. So you gotta appreciate him.”